How To: Buy Influence

Union leaders

In the U.S., the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) guarantees all employees the legal right to form a union, and the same act declares it unfair labor practice on your part to prevent them from doing so. Unions can do you a tremendous amount of damage to you in a wide variety of ways.

However, union leaders typically come out of the workforce itself and can be vulnerable to — or perhaps even accustomed to — bribery, whether it be straight cash, vacations or other gifts. A raise or a promotion, however, is likely to raise red flags.

Plan B: If that doesn’t work, recall that union leaders are appointed from within. Therefore, if your efforts with one leader fail, take a page from the CIA’s playbook and work quietly to promote a candidate or leadership more favorable to your interests.

Public detractors

Public detractors, such as environmental activists, are bound to create problems for you, particularly if your business plans encroach on natural reserves or natural habitats. As you may already have experienced, these are typically highly principled or at least highly devoted types for whom offers of money do little.

However, they do understand sacrifice. So consider offering something else that would be in their interests, but that won't get in the way of yours. For example, offer to create an ecological or environmental endowment, either in their name or the name of their organization. The mentality you want to instill in them is this: “Either I can fight for A and potentially lose, or I can sacrifice A for B; isn’t it worthwhile to gain B even at the cost of losing A?”

Plan B: Go after their credibility. Because public detractors shout the loudest and claim so much righteousness, the best way to undercut their power to hurt you is to undermine their credibility as defenders of the public good. A good private investigator can dig up just about anything you need in this regard.

Judges

The U.S. Constitution dictates that Supreme Court justices, court of appeals judges and district court judges are nominated by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate. They enjoy lifetime tenure.

However, lower court judges and State judges are often elected officials; they must campaign for their job, and thus operate no differently than politicians do, making campaign contributions an essential tool to buy influence. All too often, U.S. voters are far more concerned with other elected officials to pay attention to the judicial races, so numerous such races are bought every election year. The results of an American Bar Association poll show that most Americans believe in the justice system despite not understanding many of its inner workings. . Plan B: If buying an election fails and you need to influence a sitting judge, keep in mind that the huge majority of (but not all) States require judges to have experience as attorneys. And keep in mind that, while some judges may enjoy serving smaller, municipal courts, most have the higher courts in mind. If you have the influence to get a judge appointed to a higher bench, dangle that carrot accordingly, albeit with caution.

Gatekeepers

The men and women who determine access into country clubs or private schools are well aware of their power and influence. Their judgments decide which children enjoy the best education and which businessmen enjoy the networking opportunities afforded by the most exclusive country clubs.

They’re no strangers to efforts at bribery. Yet, while money may indeed buy you the necessary influence, you have no idea what kind of bribery offers you’re competing against. Without that knowledge, you’re best avoiding basic pecuniary bribery. Rather, for people who enjoy a position of power such as these, in order to get yourself or your children in the door, you should consider what’s in it for him. What can he gain? Depending on the situation, perhaps the offer of a relatively lucrative or prestigious job — either within your company or through one of your contacts — will see your "bribe" outdo the competition.

Plan B: Keepers of the gate are never lords of the manor. Your second-best chance is to go over their heads.

influential purchases

Virtually every single person in a position of power is for sale, from the government to the halls of justice to the ministry to media establishments, and more. The question often comes down to what it is you’re offering and how you package your offer.